


Only the Heavens Know

by Blurbberry



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Noragami AU, Others will make an appearance as well, Whether or not its shippy is up to you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 10:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11461263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blurbberry/pseuds/Blurbberry
Summary: The stories of gods and their regalia through the ages.





	Only the Heavens Know

Copper

The teen grit his teeth as he looked at the bulky beastlike phantom that currently had him cornered. A moment later, the phantom lunged, fully intending to devour him whole. But then came a flash of coppery red as a small figure suddenly dropped down on the phantom's head, causing it to scream out in pain.  Before the stunned teen could ponder on what happened, the figure quickly jumped off the monster before grabbing his hand and running.    

Name

“…My name is Leo. Bearing a posthumous name, you shall remain here. With this name I make thee my servant. With this name and its alternate, I use my life to make thee a regalia. Thou art Sena, as regalia Izumi, come Izuki!”  With those words, the loose spirit now had a name.

Job

His master was young and inexperienced, took interest in just about anything and everything, and had a bad habit of wandering off and getting lost. So as far as Sena was concerned, regalia was synonymous to caretaker. But as he looks down at the small god currently curled up in his lap, fast asleep, he thinks that being this god’s regalia wasn’t too bad.

Pair

Leo hummed softly as he admired the knife he held in his hands. Even with his small hands, the weapon was easy to wield. Its handle was a brilliant blue that stood out, even in the night. While its sharp blade glinted blue under the moonlight. “It must be fate that brought us together!” Leo suddenly declared; his eyes alight. “Surely there is none more fitting to be the moon god’s regalia!”

Stand Out

There were many things that made Leo stand out. His hair was the color of twilight, while his eyes were bright green, making him easy to spot in a sea of black. Further, despite his short stature, he had a presence that you couldn’t ignore. But there is nothing that makes Leo stand out more than when he dances under the moonlight. With his every step, moonlight itself ripples and bends as if it was accompanying him in his performance. 

Rain

When the weather takes a turn from the worst, they are forced to postpone their travels and retreat to a nearby empty hut for shelter. Despite the fact that their sandals are covered in mud and that their clothes are slightly damp with rainwater, Sena isn’t as annoyed as he thought he’d be. But that probably had more to do with Leo playing a soothing tune on his flute-not that he’d admit it.

Constant

Even though Leo has already grown to be a young man, there are things that don’t change. Such as Leo getting lost, and Sena going out to find him. But it is a break from normalcy to find his master in the company of a loose spirit with black hair and red eyes.

Encounter

The loose spirit with red eyes had been alone for a long time. There was once a time when he wasn’t, but those days were long gone. But one day, while heading towards his regular napping spot, a surprised cry gets his attention and he finds a literal god in the foliage. The twilight haired god smiles warmly at him before standing up and starting a conversation with him. It is probably because it has been such a long time since he last spoke to another that he found himself replying instead of escaping to nap.    

Dazzling

It is strange how one encounter can have such a profound effect on life. He was a mere aimless wanderer, now he is traveling with a purpose. He was merely a loose spirit, but now he is a regalia. He was nameless, yet now his name is permanently marked on his sides. He was all alone, but now he has companions. The regalia named Ritsu is thankful for meeting the others; his dull days have become dazzling.

Whispers

Leo rarely talks about his life before he met Sena. But when he does, there is a distant look in his eyes, and his voice becomes uncharacteristically soft. As if whispering a secret, he tells them a bit about the heavens where he once lived.

Improvement

“Hmm. Secchan, your singing’s pretty good.” Ritsu comments offhandedly from Leo’s lap, and the god laughs. “Wahaha, Sena’s singing come a long way. Now his singing is as beautiful as he is!” Leo says which causes Sena to flush slightly. “...Well my master is the god of the moon, music, and duels, so it would be pretty pathetic if his regalia couldn’t even hold a note.”

Read

If there was someone that both Sena and Ritsu had a hard time reading it was the god of storms, travelers, and festivals, Madara. In one moment he’d be giving Leo a bearhug lift in his joy at seeing his dear friend, and in the next he would suddenly say something serious. “Leo-san, have you heared? Eichi-san destroyed the shrines of the five spirits.”

Exceptions

Leo is usually free-spirited and playful, but there are always exceptions. The first is when he composes songs, he goes completely silent as he focuses on creating his latest work. The second is while battling phantoms; he gets serious and doesn’t stop until there are no enemies left. The last exception is when he talks about his sister, he becomes a complete fool for her.    

Omen

As they travel, they notice that the phantoms have become more aggressive as of late. They start attacking small villages in droves as soon as the sun sets, with some of them not even waiting for the sun to set before making their move. Naturally, this means more work for Leo and his regalia. But seeing how restless and emboldened even the weaker phantoms are recently, Leo can’t help but think that something big is happening.      

Letter

Leo is aware of the growing unrest in the heavens-he has heard enough about it during his travels from local gods and spirits alike. He understands that it is a crucial time for the heavens, which is why he expects the letter before it actually arrives. But as he actually holds the letter, no, heaven’s edict ordering his return, it feels impossibly heavy in his hands.

Quiet

Shortly after receiving the edict, Leo returns to the heavens with his regalia. But upon their arrival, Leo find the heavens completely different from how he remembers- aside from the occasional attendant scurrying about, the place seems devoid of life, and there is a strange dreariness in the air. But worst of all was the unsettling silence that seemed to envelop the land of the gods.

Palace

In the heavens, they stay in an honest to goodness palace-which is apparently Leo’s. It is the Moon Palace, and is the only home Leo has known in all his time in heaven.   However Leo’s expression remains somber, despite this being his first time home in centuries, until his sister visits him from her adjacent palace.  

Duty

Sena is aware that the current state of unrest is due to some gods deciding to challenge the authority of heaven, and have even recruited phantoms to their cause. He is aware of the moon god’s duty to defend the heavens- Leo already told him and Ritsu as much. But it is a different thing altogether to see Leo accept a burning scroll-heaven’s edict to fight, in his hands with a grim expression, while he steadies Ruka, sobs wracking her frame as she cries for her brother and at her own powerlessness.

War

When war comes, Leo takes to the frontlines, severing and slicing any enemy he encounters with Sena, while he leaves his defense to Ritsu, who in vessel form is a pure black cloak. Unlike his normal carefree self, Leo is nothing short of vicious as he decimates the enemy troops. It is in times like these that his allies remember that Leo's nature is that of a war god. 

Infamy

Conversely, due to Leo ruthlessly crushing his enemies, he ended up making a name for himself in the war. Just seeing a twilight haired god with a cloak and knife in the battlefield is enough to either send some of their enemies running. But seeing his figure could also cause all the nearby enemies to target him instead. Leo can’t say he really minds either way. 

Mirror

As if mirroring the status of the heavens, the mundane world also transitions into a warring states period. Battlefields become almost as common as rice paddies, corpses start to pile up, and the earth itself is stained red. When he isn’t fighting, Leo descends to the humans' battlefield, singing battle hymns for the warriors and playing his flute to comfort the dead.   

Reprieve

Ritsu decides to spend the reprieve catching up on all his lost sleep, but the black haired regalia remains nearby just in case. On the other side of the room, Leo plays his flute, Sena sings, while Madara, who is visiting the moon palace, is dancing to the music. Their audience is Ruka who looks delighted at their performance.

Pierce

Sena acts on pure instinct as he pushes his master out of the way, and the arrow pierces his chest instead. His world spins, and he falls to the ground. From there the world goes out of focus, but he can hear shouts of familiar voices, hears Ritsu create a boundary, and hears Leo calling his name. Sena tries to open his mouth, to say something to them, but no words come out. The silver haired regalia thinks and feels that he is dying but he couldn’t care less because at least Leo is safe.

Breathe

Leo hurriedly opened the top half of Sena’s kimono. Even if it was a fatal wound, it wasn’t too late to heal him. But upon seeing the black discoloration on Sena’s chest, his hopes are immediately dashed. Leo knows a curse when he sees one, and can tell that one of this caliber can severely immobilize a god or kill a regalia with certainty. In that moment of realization, he feels Sena breathe his last.

End

The pain is unimaginable. He feels like someone set him on fire from the inside, while he's being torn apart limb from limb. Every part of him is in pain, but he can’t even do anything. Without any warning, his suffering ends, the darkness is replaced by a bright light, and Sena breathes. It takes a few seconds for him to open his eyes, but when he does the first thing he sees is Leo who is simultaneously crying, calling his name, and thanking him for coming back for some reason.

Fortune

When the execution day of the traitors-gods who defected to the enemy side, including Leo’s assailant, arrive, all of heaven is in attendance.  Sena thinks that with all things considered they were still fortunate-he managed to escape certain death because he became a blessed regalia, and Madara who had caught the assailant, was able to get a list of the other defectors which led to the current situation. If not all, then at least a good number of the traitors hidden in heavens' ranks would be taken care of today. As the heavens mete out its punishment, Sena doesn’t look away.

Charge

At the enemy’s last stand, Leo stands at the frontlines together with his trusted allies, the sun god, Chiaki, the god of warriors, Kuro, and the storm god, Madara. His black cloak billows in the breeze, as he unsheathes his new silver sword from its blue scabbard. The moon god takes a deep breath before charging in-fully intending on ending this war here.

Plan

“Hmm. Now that the war is over what should we do?” Leo asks from where he lays. “I’m going to sleep for the next hundred years.” Ritsu drawls before curling up next to Leo. “Sleep huh? That doesn’t sound too bad.” Leo says as he stifles a yawn. “We've worked really hard these past few years, we deserve a break don’t we Sena?” He asks as his eyes close. “…Maybe not for a hundred years though…” Sena trails off as he finally succumbs to sleep. But before falling asleep, Leo draws both his regalia closer.

Unfamiliar

When they finally return back to the mundane world, they find that it has changed tremendously. A new Shogunate has been established, large ships from the west fill the ports nowadays, and even the towns and cities have changed drastically. To Leo, everything is unfamiliar. But when they finally return to his shrine, he finds that it remains unchanged for the most part. For that, Leo is glad.

Number

As the years go by, Leo takes in other loose spirits as his regalia. Eventually, his shrine starts to be called a powerhouse with how many clan members he has. Even though his clan number almost a hundred, and despite the fact the fact that many of them were quite capable in creating boundaries or are battle regalia, it is only Sena and Ritsu who remain ever constantly by his side.

Stress

“Hmm. So Hano and the others are skipping boundary duties again?” Ritsu asks as Sena pinches the bridge of his nose. “Among other things…" It was a fact that due to Leo’s achievements in the war, loose spirits came to him in droves in order to become his regalia, leading to the current situation. "This is why I’ve told that master of ours to kick the lot of them out. They aren’t interested in anything but riding on Leo’s coattails.” As he speaks, displeasure and exasperation is clear in his tone.

Late

Ritsu has a habit of waking up later than most, sometimes he doesn’t even wake until the afternoon. But when he wakes up one afternoon to find that Leo has yet to rise, that is a bit concerning. So he visits his master in his room, but does not expect the sight that greets him. Leo has collapsed not too far from his bed, pale looking, and skin marred by purplish-red marks, that Ritsu can tell is blight.

Wretched

Ritsu understands what wretchedness is when he sees his fellow regalia commit atrocities and depravities just because they can. As it turns out, the reason why the other regalia have been acting strangely as of late-sneaking out, staying out of sight, and skipping their duties even more than usual, was because they were trying to hide their disfigurement, the phantom eyes and the purple stains on their skin due to the blight. Though frankly, the word phantom suits them far more than regalia at this point.

Responsibility

He was aware that they were troublesome fellows, which is why he rarely interacted with the others in the first place. But he never thought they’d take it this far. He never thought that aside from using Leo to raise their status they’d also go as far as stinging him. Ritsu wanted to prevent a witch hunt, so he kept quiet as he tried to find the one responsible, but as fate would have it, the entire clan was responsible.

Rot

The entire clan was rotten to the core, and at this point Ritsu knows there is only one way to save his master. Ritsu may be a cloak, a defensive type regalia, but he is also the clan’s strategist, so he doesn’t hesitate and plans accordingly. Using his authority in the clan, he forcibly gathers all the members of the clan in the main hall. Once all of them are in one place, he starts his song- one that was particularly useful in the war, making anyone who listens go into a bloody frenzy.

Escape

Ritsu wasn't close to the other members of his clan by any means, but he didn't hate them either. He also knew that Leo liked them, and that Sena at least tolerated them. But at this point, it is already too late to save them. Neither ablution nor cutting away the blight will work, and he thinks that the least he could do for his fellow clan members is to kill them before they become phantoms. As the bloodbath starts, he makes sure that not a single one will escape and casts a boundary on the room’s only exit. That done, all he needs to do is to wait.

Vanish

As Ritsu enters the now bloody hall, he feels exhausted. Using that particular song always tires him out, but he’s sung it several times in the past hour. But he forces himself to focus, before glancing around the room to make sure that indeed none are left. As the last few corpses start to disappear into thin air, Ritsu thinks about the irony of it all. Regalia are capable of bleeding, but once they die their bodies and all traces of them vanish. Even as he thinks that, the bloodstains on the hall are already disappearing.   

Footsteps

When he hears frantic footsteps approaching, Ritsu can tell that they belong to his master. He is aware that he has single handedly ended his entire clan, and knows that there are consequences for his actions. But whether he be released or killed by Leo, he will accept whatever punishment is meted out. Moments later, the doors to the great hall open, and he sees Leo standing there(blight free his mind supplies) with a look of pure rage on his face. Leo isn’t as foolish as others think; he must already know what has happened.

Expect

Ritsu had expected condemnation or revulsion, but not Leo’s expression crumbling into a stricken one as he falls on his knees. Neither did he expect a distraught Leo to eventually hold him in his arms as the god hysterically apologized again and again. He apologized for letting things get like this, for letting him shoulder the burden by himself, for being unable to stop the others. In Leo’s arms, Ritsu feels his chest ache painfully and tears prick his eyes. Soon he starts to apologize as well for the things he's done and the things he failed to do. The words gush out and soon enough the two of them are nothing more than crying incoherent messes. 

Wrong

Sena immediately realizes that something is off when he finds the normally bustling courtyard empty. That feeling of wrongness only increases once he enters the shrine proper and finds absolutely no one. His quickens his pace as he tries to think what could’ve happened in the week he was away to help out at the ablution for Madara’s regalia. But when he finds Leo lying down on Ritsu lap, both of them looking so lost, in a bloodstained hall, Sena feels his knees start to buckle.

Admission

“…Secchan I’m s-“ “Don’t apologize.” Sena snaps before letting out a breath. The silver haired regalia was frustrated and angry at a lot of thing, but least of all Ritsu. “You did nothing wrong. If our roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing.” He says grimly before continuing in a harsher tone. “…Hell, I would’ve slaughtered the lot of them the moment I found out that they were stinging Leo to the point of near death.”

Irony

The birth of a blessed regalia is a celebratory affair. But Leo thinks that it is quite ironic that in both times his regalia turned into blessed regalia, there are usually a lot of deaths involved.

Mark

As Sena watches Leo turn away the loose spirit that pleads to be his regalia, he thinks that his master has changed ever since that incident. He no longer takes in loose spirits without a second thought, and even sets impossibly difficult tests for the more determined ones. Sena can tell that Leo is doing his best to pick up the pieces, but he also knows that the betrayal and loss of his former clan have left its mark on him-on all of them, really.

Wanderlust

When Leo brings up the idea of the three of them traveling again, immediate refusal is on the tip of Sena’s tongue. But he reins it in when he sees how in the first time in days, Leo isn’t as somber looking, and even Ritsu looks up in interest from where leans against the wall. Time away will probably do them some good, and it will be a lot easier to heal anyplace other than here. “When do we leave?” He says instead, while racking his brain for a list of those he can ask to occasionally check in on the shrine.

Hat

“Is this really necessary? I mean most humans can’t see us anyways…” Leo says as he fiddles with his straw hat. “Humans without high spirit power can’t see us.” Sena agrees. “But there are a lot more humans now than before, so it doesn't hurt to be careful. After all, even normal humans will be able to see us if we accidentally make contact with them.” He reminds. Neither he nor Leo’s coloring are exactly common after all, and while Ritsu’s hair color is passable, his red irises are a different story.

Mix up

“Wahaha! How do I look?” Leo says as he enters the room and for a moment no one speaks. But eventually Kuro speaks up. “…Sorry looks like there’s been a mix up, those are the clothes I made for the local mountain goddess…” He says as he rubs the back of his head. “But how do I say this? You pull off women’s clothes rather well, Tsukinaga.” He says and while no one voices it out loud, they certainly agree with that statement.  

Lantern

When the Obon festival rolls around, all three of them send paper lanterns into the sea in honor of the dead. No words are shared among them as they watch their lanterns float further away, but their chests feel a lot lighter than before.

Interest

When Leo takes an interest in the things brought in from the west-neither of his regalia are surprised. Their master takes an interest in just about anything after all. But one day Leo returns to the inn, eyes wide and impossibly bright. “Sena, Ritsu, I’ve decided! We’re going to be knights!” At the declaration Sena and Ritsu share a look. Well then.

Royal

“But when Kuma-kun and I are in vessel form, aren’t you more like a king?” Sena comments offhandedly, and Leo immediately brightens at his words. “Then I’ll be the king of knights!” He says gleefully. “...This is probably the first time I’ve heard a god declare himself king.” Ritsu drawls before his face turned thoughtful. “Unless you count that time Ecchan possessed the emperor of Japan.”

Visit

During their travels they also visit the shrines of different gods. Ritsu enjoys visiting Chiaki’s shrine because his new regalia is apparently an old friend of his. Conversely, he dislikes visiting Rei’s shrine for the reason that he finds the said god a pest in his life. But if Sena had to pick a shrine to visit then he’d choose Itsuki’s only because those visits were the least annoying.

Break

Leo originally had no intention on taking in a new regalia, at least not anytime soon. But it is a loose spirit with blonde hair and light blue eyes that manages to break his stance. The blonde teen somehow passes his impossibly difficult tests with sheer determination and wits, and that is already worth respecting.   

Reunion

When they run into Madara on their way back to Yumenosaki, they find that he is in the company of his new twin regalia. Madara explains that he found them wandering nearby his shrine, and decided to take them in as his regalia. But it comes off as a surprise to everyone that Leo's new regalia, Naru, is well acquainted with Madara. “Hahaha, we became acquainted as I often passed at his former master’s shrine during my travels.” 

Doubt

When Leo walks towards the grounds with nothing but a feather fan in hand, some gods start to murmur that perhaps he had finally gone insane, if he wasn't already. After all what use was a fan, beautiful as it might be, in a mock battle? But when Leo blasts his opponent up in the air, mere seconds after the match begins, with a sudden gust of wind, the dissenters are left speechless.

Homecoming

They return to Leo’s shrine right after the start of a new age. The Shogunate has fallen, practical imperial rule was restored, and foreign influx became prevalent. In the face of such transition crime, uncertainty, and conflict soared. During these turbulent times vents opened more frequently, and phantoms start running wild due to having an abundance of negative emotions to feast on. All in all, it just meant more work for the gods.

Tenuous

“This is good tea.” Eichi comments as he sips the tea offered. “Wahaha! When my Ritsu actually tries, he makes the best tea.” Leo says boisterously, but his eyes retain a guarded expression. “Now, now, no need to be so wary of me.” Eichi says good-naturedly as he set his cup down. “I assure you that I have no other motive aside from visiting an old friend. So bear with me until I finish my tea or until Keito arrives to pick me up, whichever comes first.”

Snow

“What was he like? The god you served before me?” Leo finds himself asking one snowy day. “Fufufu. Are you curious?” Naru asks and Leo nods. “I didn’t know a god stupid enough to release you existed.” He answers and Naru flushes slightly. “My, I wasn't expecting such a compliment... Ah well, it wasn’t like that. The god I previously served was a nameless god. But people eventually forgot about him and he disappeared.” Naru then turns slightly to gaze at the snow covered scenery. “...Right before he disappeared, he released me without even saying anything.” 

New

It is not until centuries later that Leo takes in a new regalia. The said regalia is given the name Suou, and the vessel name of Tsukasa. Despite the fact that Suou was named by Leo, it takes some time before the moon god calls him anything other than newbie.  

Acquainted

“I see, so Narukami-sempai and Sena-sempai knew each other since long ago. How Marvelous~” Suou says as Naru nods. “That’s right. Izumi-chan and I met in the heavens during one of the yearly banquet of the gods.” Naru began. “Back then I was a mere fledgling, and we became acquaintances only because I pestered Izumi-chan to teach me how to create a proper boundary. But as fate would have it, we ran into each other every now and then during ablutions and such.” At the words, Sena sighed. “At least your personality is much better now.”

Hindsight

“Now that I think about it, If you put Secchan and my former vessel form together you'd get a cloak and dagger.” Sena raises an eyebrow. “But I wasn’t a dagger. I was a knife.” Sena reminds, but Ritsu merely waves him off. “Details.”  

Guiding Light

As the god’s other half, it is a guidepost duty to answer to his god and to point the way. Yet just as it is Sena’s duty as a guidepost to protect Leo’s name and prevent his fall into corruption, Leo himself acts as a guiding light towards all of his regalia.

Striking

In battle, the moon god cuts a striking, if not intimidating figure. The blessed regalia, Ritsu, in vessel form is a battle attire comprising a ruby red cape over a white and black military uniform, complete with gloves and boots. In Leo’s hands, he wields Sena and Naru in their sword and feather fan forms, respectively. Last but not least, is Suou who in vessel form, is a bow and quiver full of arrows, was slung across the god’s back. In full regalia, he looked every bit the war god he was.

Imagine

“I bet back when we first met, you never imagined that one day we’d have ourselves a merry little band.” Leo says and Sena huffs. “Back then the only thought running in my mind was that I was going to eaten by that phantom. But I ended up being saved by a tree climbing moon god instead.” Leo laughs out loud then. "Fair point." He concedes as his gaze softens. “Did you know Sena? For all my genius and divine wisdom, I can’t imagine what my life would've been like had I never met you.” He confesses, voice barely above a whisper. In an equally soft voice Sena answers. "Keep this a secret, but that makes the two of us, Ou-sama.”


End file.
